Friday, February 28, 2014

It is both a blessing and a curse to feel everything so very deeply.

So I have been tumbling a lot lately. Not sure if that's the most accurate way to describe what I've been doing, but to simple put it, surfing the Tumblr. Many things cross my dash, mostly Disney gifs and actors from the Walking Dead and Supernatural with jokes/ quotes I do not understand. Benign frivolous things for sure. But every so often social awareness images and articles pop up as well. And I wanted to share three of them. The first is one of my favorite tumblrs, favorite probably not being the best choice of words, "Project Unbreakable.*" 
*The mission of Project Unbreakable is to increase awareness of the issues surrounding sexual assault and encourage the act of healing through art. Since the project's conception in October 2011 by then nineteen year old Grace Brown, it has featured over two thousand images of sexual assault survivors holding posters with quotes from their attackers. 
There is a saying that when you share pain, you cut it in half; if you don't you double it. 
It is a beautiful project; wonderfully illustrating the power of words, and allowing for healing through the very words that cut so deep. It is an empowering thing to witness the ones considered so weak and broken taking back the power.
One thing that I like most, I believe, is that survivors post not only things that their attackers said but also what friends, family and even member of the police have said. It's shocking sometimes to bear witness to the things that will come out of the mouths of those who should show the most love and support. 


Never underestimate the power your words can have on someone. 



Post #2: My feelings exactly.


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*This makes me so crazy. 
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Naturally a blog of mine is not complete without a multitude of Disney gifs.


The third and final post that has crossed my dash and deserved to be recognized is Canada's "Don't be that Guy" campaign to stop the violence. 
"Don't Be That Guy - a behavioral marketing campaign sends the message that sex without consent is sexual assault. We are sending a visual message to men between the ages of 18 and 25, graphically demonstrating their role in ending alcohol facilitated sexual assaults. Don't Be That Guy shifts the emphasis to men to take responsibility for their behavior. Studies involving 18-25 year old men revealed that 48 percent of the men did not consider it rape if a woman is too drunk to know what is going on."

Go Canada, eh?



Carry on.

**Update: California has its shit together**